Briefs

Osasuna: Struggling Osasuna have sacked coach Jose Angel Ziganda after their poor start to the season, the Primera Liga club said yesterday. Ziganda had coached the side for the last two years but six games into this season they have yet to register a win and lie 16th in the standings. The club said a replacement would be announced shortly.

Mido: Middlesbrough have hit by the news that striker Mido has picked up an injury while on international duty. The Egyptian is out of the World Cup qualifier against Djibouti this week due to a groin injury. The injury means that Mido is now a doubt for Boro's clash with Chelsea at the Riverside on Saturday.

Whelan: Dave Whelan, the owner of Premier League club Wigan, warned that a top English club could be crippled by debt if their foreign owner "spits out his dummy" and leaves. Whelan said: "I can see a foreign owner spitting his dummy and leaving a club piled high with debt. When it does happen it will be an awful shame for that club which might be left with £100 or £150 million of debt."

Match fixing: The Russian FA is to investigate match-fixing allegations made by the coach of third division FK Volochanin. The Russian Football Union (RFS) said that Vladimir Kosogov had told local media a number of games, also involving the second and first divisions, had been rigged. Media reports of widespread match-fixing and corruption have been rife in Russia for years but rarely has anyone been convicted or brought to trial.

In England: League Two - Notts County vs Brentford 1-1.

In Italy: Serie B - AlbinoLeffe vs Pisa 1-1. Serie C1 (A) - Padova vs Venezia 0-0.

Snooker: Grand Prix first round - Day bt Walden 5-4; Holt bt Allen 5-1; Cope vs Maguire 5-1; Ding vs Burnett 5-0.

MFA Division III: Gudja vs Mdina Knights 1-2; Kirkop vs Żejtun 0-4.